Here’s a quick and easy, step-by-step guide that will have you making your first Dragonfly Rock in no time!
Dragonfly Rock Painting – Supply List
- Smooth rock
- Acrylic Paint – White, Blue
- Fine point paint markers – Blue, White, Silver Black
- Small, flat-tipped paintbrush
- Acrylic Sealer
- Other supplies: pencil, paper plate, cup of water, paper towels, table cloth or other table protectors.
Dragonflies for Days
Admittedly, I am not much of a gardener. If I am put in charge of a plant it will surely die. It is kind of a joke around my house. The few plants that I do have are outside in pots and very easy to take care of. After several years of trying and failing to produce a pretty flower bed, my husband agreed to let me put in a rock garden. It was the best decision we ever made.
When we were first putting in the rock garden, we made several trips to our local Home Improvement store for an endless amount of supplies. We were constantly looking at different rocks and seeing how they would fit in the design. I would spend lots of time looking for decorations for the rock garden like metal signs, pinwheels, and garden statues.
One day, while I was out shopping with my kids for garden statues, we noticed we were being followed. Our follower was not someone we knew, but a large dragonfly that was very interested in our shopping trip. He followed us around the outside garden area of the store for several aisles. The dragonfly got pretty close to us a couple of times and we got a good look at him. We were amazed by his translucent wings and long body. He seemed to float in the air and darted quickly in between the other customers at the store.
After watching this amazing sight, we decided that we definitely needed a dragonfly rock to display in the rock garden.
Designing the Dragonfly Rock
I began searching the internet for inspiration. I came across this fun design from mycrafts.com www.mycrafts.com/diy/diy-painted-rock-dragonfly
Julie at Nature-Inspired Learning had lots of ideas for many different types of insects, including dragonflies www.natureinspiredlearning.com/rock-painting-insects
Kaite Bonn has a great video for a simple dragonfly design. I loved her use of color on the rock. www.katiebonn.com/2020/03/23/dragonfly-rock-art
I wanted the dragonfly to really pop off of the background of the rock. I thought it would be neat to bring out the translucence of the wings. You could really use any color you wish, but I decided to stick with a blue color palette.
I started off with practice sketches of the dragonfly. To begin, I drew a round head. Then, an oval body shape that was slightly larger than the head. I finished out the body with an elongated tail that got slightly wider toward the end.
The wings were long and slender. The top layer of wing I drew from the joining of the head and middle body to about halfway down the middle body. Then, I drew the bottom wings from the stopping point of the first and down to where the body and tail meet. Both sections of wing are roughly the same length.
Lastly, I drew in some detail on the wings. I wanted these lines to show up as shiny on the rock and give the illusion that the wings were transparent.
Choosing and Priming a Rock for the Dragonfly
I chose a round, smooth rock about the size of a dinner roll. It had a few dimples, but it was nothing that I thought would interfere with the paint.
Since I wanted a colored background for this rock, and a blue color palette, I chose to try mixing my own shade of light blue. I was hoping to mimic a sky color. I find that it is easiest to blend paint on a paper plate. I put a nickel-sized drop of white and the same amount of a true blue side by side on the plate. Using a small flat-tipped brush, I took a small amount of white paint and started mixing it into a portion of the blue. I kept adding white until I reached my desired shade.
I painted my custom blue color all over one side of the rock. I took three coats to get the coverage that I was looking for. Allow the paint to dry completely between coats.
Drawing and Painting the Dragonfly Design
Paint markers or pens are a quick way to put details on a rock. The paint is acrylic so it is water-based and easy to clean. I have found that the paint in the markers is quick drying. The fine point makes these markers easy to work with.
Using a pencil, I sketched the dragonfly design onto the rock. I was glad for the practice sketches that I had done beforehand. I used the same steps as detailed above.
Then, I used a blue paint marker to go over the outline of the dragonfly.
Using a white paint marker, I added some white paint in the wing sections. I had to do a little correcting on the blue outline of the wings after I added the white, but using a paint marker made that process easy.
I added the detail to the wings using a silver paint marker. I really liked the shiny effect it added to the wings. Also, I filled in the body with blue paint using a fine-pointed brush.
The final step in my Dragonfly rock painting project was to outline the body design with a black paint marker and add the antennae to the top.
How to Seal your Dragonfly Rock
I chose to use a spray acrylic sealer on this rock. Spray sealer covers well and dries quickly. I always go outside to spray my rocks since the sealer can get a bit fumy and be a little overwhelming. The kind that I like to use is made by ModPodge and can be easily found at craft stores. Follow the instructions on your sealer to ensure proper application. Typically, you will want the nozzle to be about 10 inches from the rock. Spray a light even coat over the rock. Once dry you can apply a second coat if needed.
Display your Dragonfly Rock
This dragonfly rock is in one of the wood barrels in our rock garden. I like to put my painted rocks on display for my kids and guests to enjoy.
Top Take-Aways from my Dragonfly Rock Painting Project
1. Keep an eye out for followers, you never know when you will find inspiration
2. Practice drawing your design on paper before you try to put it on your rock
3. If you are a terrible gardener, a rock garden may be just the thing for you
Happy painting!